Deer Avoidence Whistle
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I have had one for several years. I even have the passive whistles. I have been told that studies show that they do not work. I will say that when I took a trip through Montana I saw plenty of deer on the road and every time they were looking directly at me and at 100 yards they were bolting away from the road. I have had the misfortune of running into one of these critters with my ultra and it wasn't pretty. So my opinion even if they don't work they help me mentally.
Can't hurt unless you become complacently dependent on it. Then they can hurt you. Ride like it's not there. Very careful at dawn and dusk. Even moreso during hunting season. Even moreso during the rut. If you see one, there are likely more. If one jumps in front of you, brake and steer towards the tail end if you can do so safely. They rarely go in reverse on the road.
Some years back (15 or 20 maybe) when I was living in New York, the NY State Police tried out the deer whistles. They concluded that they did not work.
The problem with deer is that you don't know where they are going to think is a safe place to run.
The road I live on now is infested with mule deer since they can't be hunted right here. We can't drive very fast on this road since it is gravel so that has allowed me to observe what happens.
The deer tend to stand right in place when a car goes by, but they run for safety as soon as they hear my Sportster. The problem is that about 1 out of 10 dash across the road right in front of me when trying to escape.
I think that's the real problem with deer whistles or any other similar device. The sound scares them but a few think that back across the road where they came from is the safest place to get away from it. So, it can never be a fool proof device.
The problem with deer is that you don't know where they are going to think is a safe place to run.
The road I live on now is infested with mule deer since they can't be hunted right here. We can't drive very fast on this road since it is gravel so that has allowed me to observe what happens.
The deer tend to stand right in place when a car goes by, but they run for safety as soon as they hear my Sportster. The problem is that about 1 out of 10 dash across the road right in front of me when trying to escape.
I think that's the real problem with deer whistles or any other similar device. The sound scares them but a few think that back across the road where they came from is the safest place to get away from it. So, it can never be a fool proof device.
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I use them when touring. I've got a plastic Jesus, a Star of David, and a little Budda statue glued on my dash. Can't hurt but might not help.
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Great tips!
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I read that a deers "avoidance technique" is genetic. Think about it... if you're a deer and you look up and a mountain lion is boring straight down on you, do you start running directly away from it? Doing that allows the predator to maintain its momentum and chase you down.
What they do is shoot off in a direction that makes the predator have to make a very sharp turn, effectively making it slow down and accelerate again. If possible, even heading in the general direction the mountain lion is coming from makes the lion have to practically stop, turn around, and start up again whilst the deer is already up to speed and pulling away.
Realize, their genetic adaption gathered over the last 1000+ years hasn't had the chance to be reprogrammed for the existence of fast cars.Knowing this... it might explain what to you is "erratic behavior".
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That's what they came up with on the MythBusters TV show also; though deer DO hear the whistles there's nothing to stop them from bolting ACROSS the road instead of AWAY from it, also since they often travel in groups.........................
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I work for the gov. We were having problems with our vehicles hitting or being hit by deer so I had the honor to study if deer advoidance devices work. Your tax dollar at work LOL but in a word no they do not make a difference infact some studies state that they could cause a deer to move or stop right in your tracks. one thing I did find interresting was the deer crossing signs. studies have found that usaly if you see a deer hit that they will be more hit in that area for the rest of the year so the state or county put the signs up when a patteren begins so they do give you a heads up. I have watched this myself and it holds true I will see 10 or more deer hit around the same spots each year so the signs are put up for a reason
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Remember the joke about the lady who called to complain to the DOT that the deer weren't using their crossings?:hystria:
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While still in school, we got very drunk one night and decided to create anatomically correct "Deer Crossing" signs. One Sharpie, one ladder and a lot of beer later, we had provided penii on five signs. They stayed that way for quite a while. Simple minds, simple pleasures. What can I say.
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The tests I've read say they don't work.
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I'm going to get a job as a pet psychic on TV and sell deer whistles on the side. Plenty of suckers out there and I'll make millions. Really though I ride with a buddy that bought the HD model for his Ultra and we've never seen a deer even lift his head when we go by. And we live in deer country!! I always wanted to know how you knew it was working if only deer can here it? How would you know if it broke down?
I'll buy that 100%. Of course, its not going to help the deer whistle folks at all.
The best deer avoidance strategy is still:
- Pay attention to the deer crossing signs and/or where you've seen deer before
- Keep your head on a swivel
- Assume that where you see one deer there are more
- When you see a deer, slow way down and look for the others.
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Covering your bets? You need to put that plastic Jesus on a little prayer rug mounted to a compass so it spins and faces East.I use them when touring. I've got a plastic Jesus, a Star of David, and a little Budda statue glued on my dash. Can't hurt but might not help.
State Patrol Sergeant on TV here yesterday said they don't work. He had them on his cruiser and has hammered two so far.
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